05 October 2010

that a sheet of plywood could provide so much enjoyment for such a long period of time.

With my third year well and truly on the way my timetable appears to accommodate the need to engage with outdoor activities really well. I suppose the thought behind this piece of timetabling genius was to allow for plenty of time in the library, but I am convinced that, with a bit of self discipline, some of this free time can be spent climbing and such like.

Today we attempted to boulder on the Bowderstone before an afternoon's lecture in Outdoor Leadership and the Entrepreneur, however the weather had other ideas; it lashed it down. This meant that after one attempt of Picnic Sarcastic (Font 7a+) we retired to Keswick Climbing Wall where we spent a good two hours crimping backwards and forwards, up and down on a sheet of plywood that was no more than two meters by three meters.

You wouldn't think that it was possible to have so much fun on such a small piece of plywood, but it certainly is, and Dave MacLeod talked about this only a couple of days ago and I can agree with him 100%. However, this plywood climbing only provides satisfaction for one facet of climbing; physical movement. The need for adventure, partnerships and big challenges still has to be satisfied and it is hoped that tomorrow's visit to Bowderstone Crag will achieve this.

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About Me

I am an outdoor enthusiast from the north-west of England who enjoys being in the outdoors. When it's raining I'll be looking to get on the river and when it's not I'll be trying to summit a Lakeland fell or bag another climb. I try to document all my outdoor activities in the Lake District, and further afield, through photographs; another passion of mine.

"Think much and act a little, but when you act, act swiftly and with much conviction."
- Tommy Hilleke

"I could grasp the holds, but not the problem."
- Pat Ament

"I have no sympathy with the ever increasing number who look on the tramp to the foot of the crags as a 'beastly grind.' It will be disastrous to the sport of climbing if its devotees cease to love the mountains as a whole, as the older men did, and wish only for the crags."
- Lehmann J. Oppenheimer (The Heart of Lakeland, 1908)